Referring to the past suggestions of the New Basel Capital Accord (Basel II) the liable equity of banks will orientate itself by the financial standing of credit applicants. One can expect that the fixing of capital costs will increasingly depend on credit standing. Thus small and middle enterprises fear a growth of their capital costs or even the risk that no further credits will be accorded. Therefore a positive rating is one principle objective of small and middle enterprises. A good possibility to strengthen credit standing is Total Quality Management. It contributes on one hand to the reduction of cash-flow uncertainty and on the other hand it facilitates an evaluation of small and middle enterprises by banks.